Agartala, May 23, 2025: Former Tripura Chief Minister and current Rajya Sabha MP Biplab Kumar Deb launched a scathing attack on the Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Friday calling the party “anti-state” and “anti-national” in response to its Politburo’s condemnation of the recent Maoist encounter in Chhattisgarh.

Reacting to a statement issued by the CPI(M) Politburo, which strongly condemned the killing of 27 Maoists — including their top leader Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraj — in a security operation in Chhattisgarh, Deb said, “The thinking of the communists is anti-state and anti-national. They should not be given any place in the country. They have no right to emerge as a political party.”

The CPI(M), in its statement, alleged that the Maoists had made repeated appeals for dialogue, which were ignored by the Central Government and the BJP-led Chhattisgarh government. The party criticized the government’s stance as “inhuman” and “fascist,” accusing it of celebrating violence rather than resolving the conflict through negotiations.

“The statements of the Union Home Minister and the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister — that there is no need for talks — reflect a fascist mentality that rejoices in taking human lives and is detrimental to democracy,” the Politburo’s release noted. While maintaining its ideological opposition to Maoist politics, the CPI(M) urged the government to consider initiating dialogue and to immediately halt all paramilitary operations.

In a sharp rebuttal, Deb said, “For years, Maoists have murdered innocent civilians in Chhattisgarh. By defending them, the CPI(M) is clearly aligning with anti-national elements. This proves they have no place in a democratic India.”

Deb’s comments come amid renewed political tensions over how to handle the Maoist insurgency in central India — a decades-long conflict that has claimed thousands of lives.